Timberwolves shoot down Lakers

SAULT STE. MARIE — Northwood seemed to have a 3-point answer for every Laker run Saturday.

Shooting a season-best 15-of-30 from beyond the arc, the Timberwolves downed Lake Superior State 85-78 in a GLIAC North Division men's basketball game Saturday at the Bud Cooper Gym.

Northwood extended its winning streak to four games and was coming off an upset over league-leading Wayne State. The Timberwolves led the Lakers 36-30 at halftime and began the second half with a 14-3 flurry.

"They are a very talented team and they're rolling right now," Laker coach Steve Hettinga said. "We knew we had to play well to win tonight. We played well in spurts, but we didn't play as efficient or as smart as we needed to."

Alex Williams followed with 22 points and five rebounds, and Derek Billing contributed 10 points and six assists.

Wes Wilcox led Northwood (10-11, 9-8) with 25 points and five rebounds, while Cameron Joyce followed with 15 points and Darvin Ham had 14. The threesome was a combined 10-of-17 from 3-point range.

"If we don't make the 3 like we did, this game comes out a lot different," Northwood coach Jeff Rekeweg said. "They (Lakers) did a great job of collapsing on the post and taking a lot of things away. It frustrated us, but we had guys make some tough shots to bail us out."

Northwood shot 52.1 percent from the field for the game and made 20-of-28 free throws. The Timberwolves held a 33-31 rebounding edge, although LSSU led in offensive rebounds.

"I have so much respect for coach Hettinga and how hard his teams work," Rekeweg said. "They beat us on so many hustle plays. We take a lot of pride in our rebounding, but they outrebounding us 15-8 on the offensive boards. That shows their effort. I give credit to our guys to still be able to come away with a win. I'm very pleased."

Northwood led by as many as 17 in the second half. Every time the Lakers got back within single digits, the Timberwolves seemed to hit another 3-pointer to regain command.

"They have four or five really good shooters and obviously they showed that today," Hettinga said. "And when some of the players hit 3s who usually don't, it starts to seem like the rim is huge for them and it becomes contagious. When that many guys get going, its a lethal combination."

LSSU shot 39.7 percent from the field, including 9-of-21 from behind the arc, and made 19-of-23 free throws.

The Lakers and Timberwolves are both scrambling to stay in the top eight overall in the GLIAC standings and qualify for the league's postseason tournament. LSSU is tied for seventh place with Northwood in the league standings.

"I think 10 league wins probably gets you in the top eight," Rekeweg said. "Eleven wins definitely does. We've been trying to dig out of a hole just to get into the tournament. I know Lake State is in a similar position."

"We have quite a few games left, so I think it's still too early to worry about pecking order in the league," Hettinga said. "We have to focus on the next team in front of us, and that is Grand Valley."